How to grow apricot
Family Rosaceae. Hardy to USDA hardiness zone 5a+ (U.S. Department of Agriculture). Full sun. Ready in 3-4 years to bearing (perennial tree).
Sun
Full sun
Spacing
15-20 ft
Days to harvest
3-4 years to bearing (perennial tree)
Hardiness
Zone 5a+
What growers actually recorded
Loading zone 7b results…
When to plant apricot
- Transplant out: ~2 weeks after last frost.
Companion plants for apricot
Plant with: Chive, Garlic.
Avoid near: Black walnut.
Common pests & problems
Plum curculio, brown rot, aphid.
Feeding & fertilizer
N-P-K ratio: Balanced 5-5-5, avoid fresh manure
Organic options: Compost mulch every spring · Blood meal + bone meal before flowering · Kelp meal after harvest
When to feed: Base feeding on a soil test and on how much new growth the plant made last year.
Watch for: Lots of leafy growth but little fruit = too much nitrogen.
N = nitrogen (leaves), P = phosphorus (roots and flowers), K = potassium (fruit and disease resistance). How to read a fertilizer label →
Grower's tip
Blooms very early, so it's often frost-hit; plant on a north-facing slope or against a wall to delay bloom by a few key days.
When to plant apricot in your zone
Free month-by-month sowing and transplanting lists, built from frost dates for your USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) hardiness zone.
Soil & water for apricot
Soil & pH
6.0-7.0 for most; confirm with a soil test
Deep, well-drained soil. Standing water around the roots causes root and crown rot.
Test soil before planting and correct pH then. Mulch with compost each spring, kept a few inches off the stem or trunk.
Watering
1-1.5 in / week; 2 in during fruit swell
Drip or soaker at the root zone. Keeping leaves and fruit dry lowers fungal disease.
Check soil 6 in down; water when it is dry there. Drought while fruit is sizing gives small fruit.
Knowing when to harvest
- Fruit reaches full color and separates from the branch with a gentle lift, no tugging.
- Slight give at the seam under thumb pressure.
- Apricots ripen fast once started; check daily during the final week.
Storing & keeping
Fridge 31-32°F, 90% humidity, 1-2 weeks. Ripens a few more days at room temperature if picked slightly firm. Dries and cans exceptionally well.
What to expect
Per plant: 50-100 lb mature tree, bearing by year 3-4
Early bloom makes apricots frost-prone in many regions; a hard freeze at bloom can erase the crop for the year.
Troubleshooting apricot
Blossoms killed by a late frost, no fruit despite a healthy tree
Likely cause: Apricot blooms very early, before most other stone fruit
What to do: Site on a north-facing slope to delay bloom, or choose a later-blooming variety.
Brown, shriveled fruit that mummifies on the tree
Likely cause: Brown rot (Monilinia)
What to do: Remove mummified fruit and infected twigs, apply fungicide at bloom in humid climates.
Varieties worth the space
Not every name in a seed catalog. These are the ones growers order again, with what each one is actually good at and what it asks of you.
Moorpark
Old, reliable, richly flavored, self-fertile.
Goldcot
More cold-hardy and later-blooming, reducing frost loss.
Growing apricot in containers
Viable on dwarfing rootstock in a 15-20 gallon pot, useful specifically to delay bloom by keeping roots cooler in spring.
Nutrition
Varies by crop: see the crop notes above.
Common questions
Why does my apricot bloom then lose all its fruit every year?
Almost always a late frost hitting the very early bloom. Delayed bloom via siting or a later variety is the fix, not fertilizer or pruning.
Are apricot pits dangerous?
The kernel inside the pit is cyanogenic like other stone fruit; do not eat it.
Where these numbers come from
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023 revision). Zone assignment and the 30-year normals behind every cold-hardiness figure.
- NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 Climate Normals. Frost dates, growing-season length, and the probability bands on both.
- Cornell, UMN, and UC Davis Cooperative Extension crop guides. Spacing, days to maturity, soil pH targets, and per-plant yield ranges.
- USDA FSIS / FDA Produce Safety guidance. Wash, cure, and cold-storage handling numbers.
Ranges are regional guidance, not a promise for your yard. Your own logged results always override the published range.